Minke Whale, Meet Antarctica Travelers

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ9cPbIeEUQ]Hey -- remember that time we were in Antarctica and that minke whale decided to swim over to our zodiac, give it a little nudge and dive underneath before meandering on its way...? Antarctica travelers have a close encounter with a curious Minke whale off the coast of the Peninsula.

Unlike the other wildlife of Antarctica, whales do not breed in the region. However, they do take advantage of the nutrient-filled waters in the austral summer, traveling great distances from their temperate breeding waters in the north. Whales are divided into two main groups: toothed and baleen. The only toothed whales found in the Antarctic are the Orca and the Sperm whale, while a variety of baleen whales have been sighted: Blue, Fin, Sei, Humpback, Minke, and Southern Right. Late summer, February and March, is when whales are typically most abundant in Antarctica.